The Arabian Nights Entertainments - online book

Children's Classic Fairy Tales From The East, Edited By Andrew Lang

favourites, and courtiers. On his elephant's neck sits an officer, his golden lance in his hand, and behind him stands another bearing a pillar of gold, at the top of which is an emerald as long as my hand. A thousand men in cloth of gold, mounted upon richly caparisoned elephants, go before him, and as the procession moves onward the officer who guides his elephant cries aloud, " Behold the mighty monarch, the powerful and valiant Sultan of the Indies, whose palace is covered with a hundred thousand rubies, who possesses twenty thousand diamond crowns. Behold a monarch greater than Solomon and Mihrage in all their glory!"

' Then the one who stands behind the throne answers: " This king, so great and powerful, must die, must die, must die!"

'And the first takes up the chant again, " All praise to Him who lives for evermore."

' Further, my lord, in Serendib no judge is needed, for to the king himself his people come for justice.'

The Caliph was well satisfied with my report.

'From the king's letter,' said he, ' I judged that he was a wise man. It seems that he is worthy of his people, and his people of him.'

So saying he dismissed me with rich presents, and I returned in peace to my own house.

When Sindbad had done speaking his guests withdrew, Hindbad having first received a hundred sequins, but all returned next day to hear the story of the seventh voyage, Sindbad thus began.